Estrela da Amadora 3 Brentford 1 | OneFootball

Brentford concluded their pre-season trip to Portugal with a 3-1 defeat to Primeira Liga side Estrela da Amadora in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

Mathias Jensen gave his side the lead on 18 minutes, but Estrela levelled on the brink of half-time and then added two more goals after the break.

Mikkel Damsgaard, Jensen and Christian Nørgaard – all featuring for the first time this pre-season following their involvement with Denmark at Euro 2024 – formed a midfield three for the game at Benfica Campus.

The Bees started the brighter of the two sides, moving the ball with pace and precision, and took the lead on 18 minutes.

Damsgaard had a shot blocked inside the area and the ball broke for Jensen, whose side-footed effort deflected off a defender’s studs and wrong-footed the goalkeeper.

Estrela’s striker latched onto a through ball midway through the first half, but having raced into the area could only find the side netting.

Tempers flared when Yoane Wissa was hacked down on the halfway line, but the forward got back on his feet and was fine to continue.

Estrela levelled just before the break. A ball was lofted over the Brentford backline, the forward took it in his stride with a positive first touch and showed composure to shoot across Hákon Valdimarsson and into the far corner.

Seconds after the restart, Myles Peart-Harris – one of five half-time substitutions made by head coach Thomas Frank – saw his shot skip just wide of the keeper’s right post via a mean deflection on the edge of the area.

On 51 minutes, an Estrela player lifted a free-kick up and over the wall from 20 yards and the ball landed on the roof of the net.

Vitaly Janelt had to be withdrawn on 65 minutes and was replaced by Yunus Emre Konak.

A one-two between Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa had the Estrela defence at sixes and sevens, but the former dragged the ball just wide of the far post having advanced to the right of the area.

Estrela took the lead on 80 minutes. A quick break down the right led to the ball being cut back and swept home with a first-time finish from 10 yards.

Estrela added a third goal on 87 minutes. The ball was again worked down the right and a wicked delivery to the front post was glanced beyond Matt Cox.

In the final seconds, Tony Yogane’s cross-shot deflected just wide of the keeper’s right post.

The referee’s whistle signalled the end of a productive week in Portugal. Up next, Watford.

Brentford: Valdimarsson (Cox HT); Ajer (McManus 80), Collins (Zanka HT), Ji-soo, Frederick (Booth 80); Damsgaard (Yarmoliuk HT), Nørgaard (Janelt HT, Konak 65), Jensen (Peart-Harris HT); Schade (Yogane 80), Wissa, Mbeumo (Morgan 80)